1. The nominee has to thank the person that nominated them ~ Done
2. Answer the 5 Super Sweet Questions ~ See below
3. Nominate a baker’s dozen of other Super Sweet Bloggers and let them know.

Cookies or Cake? I love cake. Like love how it tastes, feel and melts in your mouth. Mostly watching my husband make cakes is the most fun.

Chocolate or Vanilla? Both take the cake. I love how each flavor can complement each other. Cake that has multiple layers needs to have both.

What is your favourite sweet treat? I love chocolate chip bars. They are my favorite to make and to eat. It seems that every time I make them, they are gone in a few minutes. Not sure if it is me eating all the bars or if my family sneaks in and eats a bunch.

When do you crave sweet things the most? Right before I go to work out. It drives me crazy.

It is one habit that I am self-conscious towards. It is the one thing that makes me feel like I am doing something to get rid of the extra weight I have acquired over the years. I go to the gym and work out.

This can be a very difficult thing to do. To actually go out there in public in workout clothes can have its challenges but the gym here is very forgiving; not many people are at the gym when I go. There is one class but often times participation is very low. I enjoy how I can “slide in” and get my work out done.

Each morning I try to decide if I will go today or not. I contemplate when I went last, try to figure out if I should go and rationalize staying home is better. So, when I finally do get there, it is a major feat. I ceremoniously hand over my ID card to the front door office girl (who is always fit and skinny) to hear it beep into the system as if to say, “Yes, I made it here do be happy for me.”

Today was no different except I was hungry very hungry and could not get food, cake specifically off my mind. All I wanted was cake. Any kind of cake would have served me fine. Chocolate on chocolate, a swipe of yellow cake with vanilla frosting, cream cheese frosting on carrot cake or vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles or some sort of sugary topping. All I knew was that I was battling the invasion of cake.

I knew that today of all days I needed to workout and I would be able to hand over my ID card and hear its declaration, “I am here” with much pride and drive. Quickly I stepped up to the front desk and began handing over my ID when there in front of the fit and skinny office girl was a piece of chocolate cake. The icing was oozing with the delightful smell of sugar and little chocolate bits. I melted where I stood staring at the cake with a longing. My ID beeped but somehow I missed the delightful feeling of how I had made it there to work out.

Today, I am going to take you on a journey that goes beyond the typical “Military living adventure” and ask for you to buckle up, think about more than the world sitting in front of you and reflect on what your life’s passion is.

Today started off as a typical military day when I picked up the Stars and Stripes off the front door mat at 0530 this morning. I realize that not many of you venture to the Stars and Stripes but for me, it is a way to somehow capture a glimpse of home. I seem to always go straight to the back of the paper where I can find the little tidbits of what’s happening in the States. Usually I do not read nor am I moved by the Opinions page but today sparked a different thought pattern.

So I began to read and started to realize she was comparing Gordon Ramsay‘s food shows to how 1 out of 4 American kids are in “food insecure households”. She continued to detail in her opinion on how the shows, “Hell’s Kitchen“, “Master Chef” and “Hotel Hell”,

…provide the bread for our version of ancient Rome‘s reliably distracting bread and circuses. Except now there is no real bread involved, only the virtual, mouth-watering, food-porn sort that merely whets the appetite for “More, sir.”

It appears that the vision of a child in tattered clothes holding up a bowl asking for some more food is her vision of such said shows. I would disagree and express that she is clearly missing the point.

These shows are not about food. They are about having a passion. Doing something that is in your heart that you alone can express and give to others. It is about finding your way and learning from others and understanding how to work in many different environments.

If Ramsay’s,

...spectacles of psychological abuse and opulent food preparations play out in front of millions of viewers. For too many of them the “dinosaur s***” on the loser plate looks pretty darn good.”

bothers you then do not watch the shows. Better yet, leave the tag line of your upcoming book out of the end of the article.

You have no idea and in a way that is okay. You are lucky to not have to deal with the overwhelming wave of uncertainty that follows you around like a thunder-cloud that will not go away.

You are not thrown into the unknown when that news story becomes “breaking news” and comes from the same place your loved one is residing and protecting. To boot, you are trying to remember when you spoke last and if you will get a call soon so you know they are okay.

Your day does not start with wondering if someone will come knocking on your door and tell you they are hurt or worse, dead.

You can go ahead and just know that the world is being taken care of by those who go out there and actually walk among the bad guys and attempt to make things better.

So, when you are complaining about how bad you have it, know that there are those around the world who are taking care of your selfish behavior and yes, dying for it too.

Not the reaction you were looking for? Well maybe next time you need to stop and think about what you are saying and decide if you want a true answer or a bubble gum one.

Here’s the Thing….you mean well but your statement can be answered in many ways and often times it is glazed over and filled with positive, flowery comments.

Drama seems to be a normal part of living in the military. I would venture to say that all of you are nodding your head and can think of a story or two that was pure drama. I am not a career military person and this drama full atmosphere can draw you in just like a bad movie. But I ask, “How can it be stopped?”

I ponder about it but nothing seems to come to mind. It appears that drama has a way of making life …be life.

I may look at one thing as just an event but you or someone else will look at it totally different. Your face gets all twisted and you start yelling about how “wrong” something is. I may look at you like you are off your rocker. You get people on your side and before I know it I am getting my own group together. Like a bad version of West Side Story we are dancing around taking jabs at one another. All that seems to be missing is the music.

Here’s the Thing….Quit It! Respect each other and realize that it is our differences that makes it all work out. The fact that you approach something one way and I another allows for the diversity of our personalities to make it work together. I may not completely agree with you and you to me but we make it work. We respect the differences and embrace the thought that not everyone is going to see things the same way. If needed, agree to disagree.

If I got to choose my last meal it would be baked macaroni and cheese. I love cheese and it totally reminds me of when my daughter was growing up as she would eat the stuff like there was nothing else on the menu. I was happy with that because it would allow me to “Test taste” it. Unfortunately, my waist did not get along with the high calorie count and I had to stop eating it if I wanted to stay somewhat in shape.

What time period would like you have like to been born and lived through?

Even though I am enjoying the time I am living in now, I would love to have been born in the 1920’s and living in Paris, France. Wow, what a wonderful time to be in a place that just seemed to be so alive.

You have the power to make three rules or laws what are they?

1) Work as many hours you need to work to “get the job done” and go home without getting any interruptions

2) Eat what you want , when you want and not worry about it

3) Respect your elders, they will not be here forever and they really know what they are talking about

What is the one thing that you would do if there was nothing to prevent-stop you from doing said thing?

Write another book about all the crazy experiences I have been through and not worry about who it offends. Hopefully that will come sooner than later.

You have super powers, what are they and do you fight crime or become the criminal?

Superpower would be invisible and see what the criminals are up to and stop them from doing all the stupid stuff they do each day. I would find other superpower people and form an alliance with them to make sure that things run smoothly. We would most likely have a secret hideout somewhere.

Here are 5 questions that Here’s the Thing is asking for those nominated:

1) If you were given the chance to change something what would you change?

2) If you could repeat an age, what age would you want to be again?

3) What one thing really scares you?

4) What one dream have you not completed yet and do you think you will be able to complete it.

The refrigeratordoor handle broke. Yep, it came right off and I was thinking, “Hooray, now we can get a new frig!” Our refrigerator is old, very old BUT as I was reminded by my husband it is running fine.

Like all of our appliances the frig has a government sticker on it displaying the type, year and DO NOT Remove government property. While adjusting my glasses, I tried reading the blurred writing on the label and barely made out the year. When I finally did, it read it has been here since 1980. That is a longtime.

Time has a way of wearing things down and though this refrigerator is running fine it does run rough. The handle that fell off was rusty and the pieces somehow would need to be glued back to the metal surface of the frig. I knew the handle would eventually fall off because every time you opened the frig, it would wiggle more and more. This refrigerator definitely had character.

This got me thinking, a lot of people have been in and out of its doors. This frig has stored meals, provided a place for holiday cookies, cakes and I will bet a few turkeys and Christmas roasts. I can even imagine a few ice packs been pulled out from its freezer to take care of a bruise or two. Maybe a new refrigerator would not be such a good idea after all. This one may just need a little bit of fixing.

When Housing came they took the handle and told me they would see if they could repair it, see if there were parts for it. He did say that, ” This one may not have anymore parts available. We may need to get you a new one” He told me he would be back in the morning. I told him I hope he can find a way to “fix” the handle and let me keep the refrigerator and all its uniqueness.